High Stakes
by Lynx Traveller
Summary: Starscream reflects on what is singly the worst tactical disaster in Decepticon History (cannon accurate.)


Disclaimer: I Don't own Transformers.

Well, it's been over a year now since I've posted anything; I've made one or two failed attempts to start again but then about a month ago I just felt like putting this down; dunno if it's indicative of anything (I'd be surprised if anyone reading this remembers me; I see a lot of new names on the transcene.)

Anyway, my brothers engagement party was a fortnight ago; 80 people that I didn't know and a cousin I haven't seen in about 10 years; I guess it'll be my turn next, although that decision depends on funding; I'm working now (finally!) and at long last I can say that I'm happy; no more raving lunatics, no more insecure neurotics that think I'm their property, just me and someone who genuinely cares.

Yep, life is good; my Transformers artwork has even gotten me published; Ozformers 2004, the first Australian Transformers convention, was a big success and it was my artwork that filled the exclusive comic; all 600 hours of work that went into it.

Anyway, on to the fic; I was a bit worried when I wrote this; not least because I seem to be cursed in that the quality of my stuff is in inverse proportion to how much time I spend between fics, and second because after I started the idea just kept developing; past experiences have shown that to be a bad thing because it means that I'm including something that wasn't originally planned.

Still, I think that I pulled it off rather nicely; the concept of the tactical analysis of the movie is something I've thought about often, from both sides and hopefully I'll one day get around to writing the Autobots side of the story.

…

You're an idiot, Starscream. Once we slip by their early warning systems in their own shuttle, the Autobots will be vanquished forever.

I winced at the tone in Megatrons voice, although considering how things had been lately, I should count my fortunes that I wasn't backhanded.

I was right, I knew I was right. I'd wager that even Soundwave would agree with me on that point.

Tactically, anyway.

Attacking Autobot city seemed a foolish thing to do; new defences, and a lot of enemy presence.

But deep down, I knew why Megatron was being so brazen…

It had taken us twenty years earth time to achieve, but amongst all the failed raids and master plans, we'd managed to steal an energon cube here, another there. Twenty years it had taken us, but we'd finally stockpiled enough energon to gain the upper hand on Cybertron.

Twenty years. Not even a drop in the ocean to us, but this war seemed to have really picked up the pace since we'd arrived on earth; it's ironic to think that such pitiful, fragile, short-lived creatures as the fleshlings had made so many changes to our lifestyles across so many levels.

But I digress.

Despite my constant 'subtle' comments about our leaders capabilities, even Megatron knew that in smaller circles, my criticisms were being quietly echoed.

Simply put, whilst Megatron probably would have waited a bit longer still to reenergize Cybertron and oust the Autobots, he knew that the longer he delayed acting the more his minions lost confidence in him.

And so, to quell the undercurrents of rebellion, Megatron acted.

Megatron shifted his attentions back to Cybertron; back to our home world and in doing so cost us the Earth. A major victory but a strategic failure.

Even Skywarp could see that whoever controlled the Earth and all its resources would ultimately win the war; we'd stockpiled energon true enough but even that was in limited supply; with earth to itself the Autobot war machine could now afford to fight a war of slow attrition.

Still, the forced exodus of every Autobot not hunted down and killed was without a doubt the greatest morale booster the Decepticon Empire had had since the fall of the Golden Age.

Our tacticians predicted that the Autobots wouldn't go easily; it'd been a closely kept secret from the troops but we'd known almost immediately of the Autobot enclaves on Cybertron's moons; we could have destroyed them from the outset but Megatron –credit to him- foresaw that if the Autobots were allowed to believe that they'd escaped detection on the moons then they would waste resources bolstering their forces there.

Megatron knew that eventually Prime would move much of his upper echelon to the moons; Autobot City was far enough along that only the engineers and labourers needed to finish up there.

The troops though were bound to find out about the moons, and find out they did; frightened by the proximity of the Autobots and angered at the Deception the troops were on the verge of revolt; Megatron knew that if he was to stop the dissent that it would again call for premature and drastic action.

And so for that reason more than any other, he drew his plans against Earth.

Whilst I must concede that in some ways his actions to this point have justified themselves, I firmly believe that attacking Earth will prove to be the greatest military failure in the history of the Decepticon Empire.

Megatrons mood has been growing worse of late; his anger and abuse hasn't helped inspire much confidence in his followers, but Megatrons high-risk gambles I believe are about to stop paying off.

The logical thing to do would be to attack Cybertron's moons; the troops are in fear of the threat they oppose and besides; capturing or killing Primes lieutenants would go a long way to restoring Megatrons image and the faith of his troops. Routing Prime himself and forcing him to retreat to Earth would then allow us to push onwards with the entire might of the Decepticon armada unhindered and without fear of our flanks being reprised by the enemy.

But I believe that Megatron has let this get personal; politically he was forced to take Cybertron, politically he was forced to respond to the Autobots threat, but I believe that the only reason he ultimately chose to attack Autobot city and not the moons was because he wanted to prove to those of us who goaded him into leaving Earth in the first place that he is still in control; that he still has the ability to lead the Decepticon Empire against impossible odds and still gain victory.

If he succeeds, he will have gained enough that he will never be questioned again.

But if he fails…

And so here we are; barely more than a scouting party going to face the Autobot's greatest defensive installation head on whilst the rest of the armada stays behind to garrison Cybertron against an attack from the moons; Megatrons predictions state that that would be the Autobots most likely tactic but he refuses to listen to the possibility that both our reinforcements and our means of escape will be cut off if Prime launches a counter attack on our rear while we're on the planets surface.

The moon base definitely was the real threat…

For now I'll follow; I've survived this long and whilst our losses today will be great I firmly intend to see Megatron beaten, defamed to the point of no longer holding back civil war, and committed to history as the biggest failure of the Empire.

Either that or killed; it'd please me to see him destroyed during this failure of a battle. I suppose though that even if he survives the battle he won't survive the insurrection bought about by his ineptness in ignoring the threat the moons posed.

I look over at my 'leader' and see his gloating smirk. I can't help but to smile at the egotistical fool; evidently he believes that because we've already succeeded in killing Primes two most trusted lieutenants, his chief medic and one of his strongest warriors on this little voyage that this high-stakes gamble of his will pay off; but just how much longer will your luck last Megatron?

…

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